The Norwegian Air and Missile Defence Battalion at 138th Air Wing at Ørland airbase was the
object of an internal experiment between August 2014 and June 2016 on the initiative of the Air
Force. The Air Force leaders wanted to gain insight into future development trends by taking 50
per cent men and 50 per cent women into the compulsory military service. The percentage of
women was expected to increase considerably after the implementation of general conscription
during the summer of 2016. Already prior to the experiment the average level of female
conscripts in the Battalion was higher than 20 per cent.
This rapport is based on a social anthropological study, with a social scientist following the two
different cohorts involved in the experiment. Several fieldworks are conducted, along with
participant observation and more than 70 qualitative interviews. The empirical examples
illustrate which mechanisms come into play when there is an equal gender balance in a military
unit. To fit in, especially though humour, is often the key to the conscripts’ well-being and their
capability to see the service through.
Neither gender nor economical position decides who fits in in this context. In the military, where
everyone dresses the same, lives at the same place, and eats the same food, the individual
personalities stand out more than in other contexts. To fit in entails being able to joke rudely
with others, but it also entails being able to take the joke yourself. Our impression is that rude
jokes about ethnic minorities are generally accepted, while joking about gender issues or
women is not tolerated to the same degree. The conscripts talk a lot about the importance of
being able to adapt, to be part of a team. A soldier who is not sociable around the other soldiers
does not fit in.
None of the selected informants express any sentiments about women and men being alike.
Differences might be mentioned, but not emphasized, at least not in a negative manner.
Everyone in the Battalion is physically able to perform the same tasks and duties, and
consequently no-one seems to emphasise whether it is a male or a female conscript doing the
job. Our findings point to personal qualities and skills as being the most important grounds for
picking out qualified and capable personnel within the Battalion.
The soldiers, living and working closely together, are exposed to each other nearly 24 hours a
day. Such exposure leads to enhanced understanding and tolerance between the sexes, in
addition to reducing stereotypical biases and sexual tension. We do not see any signs of a
dominating masculinity culture in the Battalion, and the unit reports little or no sexual
harassment. The Battalion’s own survey also indicates a high level of well-being and
contentment, which correlates well with our research material in this study.

Fra august 2014 og frem til juni 2016 gjennomførte Luftforsvaret et eksperiment ved Luftvernbataljonen
på Ørland flystasjon. Gjennom å kalle inn 50 prosent kvinner og 50 prosent menn til
førstegangstjeneste ønsket ledelsen å få et inntrykk av hvordan avdelingen ville fungere med
jevn kjønnsfordeling. Det var forventet at kvinneandelen kunne komme til å gå betraktelig opp
etter innføringen av allmenn verneplikt sommeren 2016. Før eksperimentet hadde
Luftvernbataljonen allerede en kvinneandel på over 20 prosent.
Rapporten er basert på en sosialantropologisk studie der forskeren har fulgt de to kontingentene
i eksperimentet. Det er gjennomført flere feltarbeid, deltakende observasjon og over 70
kvalitative intervjuer. Eksemplene som presenteres gjennom empirien, illustrerer hvilke
mekanismer som spiller inn ved kjønnsjevnhet i en militær avdeling. Det å passe inn, særlig
gjennom humor, er i mange tilfeller en utslagsgivende årsak til trivsel og gjennomføringsevne.
Hvem som passer inn, bestemmes i denne sammenhengen verken av kjønn eller økonomisk
status. I Forsvaret, der alle kler seg likt, bor samme sted og spiser samme mat, kommer
soldatenes personlighet mer til syne enn i andre situasjoner. Å passe inn betyr både å kunne
kødde med andre, men også å tåle å bli kødda med selv. Inntrykket er at det er gjengs over
akseptert å kødde med etniske minoriteter, mens å kødde med kjønn (kvinner) ikke blir tolerert i
samme grad. Soldatene snakker mye om å være i stand til å tilpasse seg andre, å være del av
et team. En soldat som ikke er sosial med medsoldater, passer ikke inn.
Ingen av informantene i dette utvalget uttrykker at de mener kvinner og menn er helt like.
Forskjeller blir gjerne nevnt, men ikke vektlagt, i alle fall sjelden i negativ forstand. I Luftvernbataljonen
kan alle gjøre samme jobb fysisk sett, så det legges ingen vekt på om det er en
mann eller en kvinne som utfører den. Alt tyder på at det er personlige egenskaper og
ferdigheter som styrer hvem som blir valgt til hvilke oppgaver i bataljonen.
Disse soldatene, som bor og jobber sammen, eksponeres for hverandre nærmest 24 timer i
døgnet. En slik eksponering fører til større forståelse og høyere toleranse mellom kjønnene, i
tillegg til at det reduserer fordommer og seksuell spenning. I Luftvernbataljonen ser vi ingen
tegn til dominerende maskulinitetskultur, og det er rapportert om lite eller ingen seksuell
trakassering. Bataljonens egne undersøkelser indikerer høy trivselsrate, noe som stemmer godt
med inntrykkene fra vårt forskningsmateriale. ,The Norwegian Air and Missile Defence Battalion at 138th Air Wing at Ørland airbase was the
object of an internal experiment between August 2014 and June 2016 on the initiative of the Air
Force. The Air Force leaders wanted to gain insight into future development trends by taking 50
per cent men and 50 per cent women into the compulsory military service. The percentage of
women was expected to increase considerably after the implementation of general conscription
during the summer of 2016. Already prior to the experiment the average level of female
conscripts in the Battalion was higher than 20 per cent.
This rapport is based on a social anthropological study, with a social scientist following the two
different cohorts involved in the experiment. Several fieldworks are conducted, along with
participant observation and more than 70 qualitative interviews. The empirical examples
illustrate which mechanisms come into play when there is an equal gender balance in a military
unit. To fit in, especially though humour, is often the key to the conscripts’ well-being and their
capability to see the service through.
Neither gender nor economical position decides who fits in in this context. In the military, where
everyone dresses the same, lives at the same place, and eats the same food, the individual
personalities stand out more than in other contexts. To fit in entails being able to joke rudely
with others, but it also entails being able to take the joke yourself. Our impression is that rude
jokes about ethnic minorities are generally accepted, while joking about gender issues or
women is not tolerated to the same degree. The conscripts talk a lot about the importance of
being able to adapt, to be part of a team. A soldier who is not sociable around the other soldiers
does not fit in.
None of the selected informants express any sentiments about women and men being alike.
Differences might be mentioned, but not emphasized, at least not in a negative manner.
Everyone in the Battalion is physically able to perform the same tasks and duties, and
consequently no-one seems to emphasise whether it is a male or a female conscript doing the
job. Our findings point to personal qualities and skills as being the most important grounds for
picking out qualified and capable personnel within the Battalion.
The soldiers, living and working closely together, are exposed to each other nearly 24 hours a
day. Such exposure leads to enhanced understanding and tolerance between the sexes, in
addition to reducing stereotypical biases and sexual tension. We do not see any signs of a
dominating masculinity culture in the Battalion, and the unit reports little or no sexual
harassment. The Battalion’s own survey also indicates a high level of well-being and
contentment, which correlates well with our research material in this study.